The early star of NBA Summer League is a former Duke one-and-done, but probably not the one you’re thinking of.
Third overall draft pick Cameron Boozer made his NBA summer debut for Memphis, scoring 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with four rebounds and four assists in a blowout win over OKC in the Salt Lake City Summer League.
Boozer is also expected to play in the Las Vegas summer league that starts later this week, and he’ll face off with the No. 4 pick, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, in the Vegas opener.
“It felt comfortable,” Boozer told ESPN after his first game. “Obviously, it’s still an adjustment because going to a whole new team, whole new system, you got one week of practice before playing. But I felt good, especially with this group. They’re very easy to play with, just because everyone’s playing for each other, playing the right way. So I feel comfortable. Obviously, there’s a lot of learning to do still, but I feel good, for sure.”
While Boozer got his NBA career off to a solid start, another Duke product with more at stake this summer had an even better game. Playing in the California Classic summer circuit, Trevor Keels scored 18 points in 27 minutes for Miami. He hit 2-of-5 from three and added seven rebounds. He added 16 points, four boards and three assists in his second game of the summer.
Keels, a second-round pick in 2022, played eight games for Miami last season, his first NBA action since three games in 2023 with the Knicks. He’s hoping to make the Heat roster, and a strong summer showing could kick start that effort.
Back in Salt Lake, UNC’s Henri Veesaar made his Summer League debut with Atlanta. Veesaar was a potential late first-round pick who surprisingly fell deep into the second round at the draft. He scored five points with three rebounds in 18 minutes.
Much like with Duke, UNC’s rookie was overshadowed by a more veteran product from the program. R.J. Davis, hoping to win a spot with the Spurs, scored 15 points in 18 minutes in his first game of the summer. He shot 4-of-8, including 3-of-5 from three in the California game. A 2025 Tar Heel grad, Davis is still seeking his regular season NBA debut after spending last year in the G League. Another former Tar Heel, Cormac Ryan, had 13 points for Milwaukee. The 27-year-old played 11 games for the Bucks last season.
Duke draftee Maliq Brown rounded out the double-figure scorers from the state. The second-round pick scored 10 for the Spurs.
Other players from North Carolina schools that are either competing in Summer League or are on rosters for leagues yet to start include:
Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis is in California with Brooklyn (8 points in his first game). Former Demon Deacon Boopie Miller (4 points) is also there with the Bucks, while UNC’s Drake Powell is a Brooklyn teammate of Sallis. He missed all nine shots from the field but took advantage of the two-point free throw rule to finish with four points on two made freebies. The NBA is experimenting with the rule to reduce the number of free throws and speed up games. Jack Clark (2 points), who spent a year with NC State, is in California with Golden State.
Still waiting to open play but on Summer League rosters are:
Wake Forest’s Cameron Hildreth (Indiana Pacers) and Tre’Von Spillers (Cleveland Cavaliers), NC State’s Ben Middlebrooks and Quadir Copeland (both Houston Rockets) and Tre Holloman (Orlando Magic), ECU’s Giovanni Emejuru (Denver Nuggets) and Jordan Riley (New Orleans Pelicans), Duke’s Sion James (Charlotte Hornets), Khaman Maluach (Phoenix Suns), Cam Reddish (Orlando Magic) and D.J. Steward (Portland Trail Blazers), Davidson’s Hyunjung Lee (San Antonio Spurs), UNC’s Seth Trimble (Washington Wizards) and Pete Nance (Milwaukee Bucks) and Winston-Salem State’s Javonte Cooke (Phoenix Suns), UNC transfers Tyler Nickel (New York Knicks), Jalen Washington (Chicago Bulls) and Dawson Garcia (Detroit Pistons), Charlotte transfers Igor Milicic Jr. (San Antonio Spurs) and Brice Williams (Detroit Pistons), Duke transfer Mark Mitchell (Denver Nuggets), Wake Forest transfers Andrew Carr (Portland Trail Blazers) and Robert McCray V (Los Angeles Lakers), ECU transfers Ezra Ausar (Miami Heat) and Javon Small (Memphis Grizzlies), Davidson transfer Reed Bailey (Phoenix Suns) and High Point transfers Zach Austin (Milwaukee Bucks) and Duke Miles (Philadelphia 76ers). Duke’s Isaiah Evans is not yet on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster, because the draft-day trade sending him there hasn’t been finalized yet. He’s expected to be added to the summer roster once the paperwork is completed.
Former Duke national champion Amile Jefferson will be coaching the Boston Celtics’ summer team, while UNC national champion Wayne Ellington will be calling the shots with the Miami Heat. Duke’s Steve Wojciechowski will be coaching the Utah Jazz.
